Fashion’s AI era: Face swaps and digital clones

In the realm of fashion, artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in a new era, one that presents both opportunities and challenges for the industry. AI-generated fashion models offer brands the chance to create lifelike images for their retail websites, potentially slashing costs by 90% or more compared to traditional photo shoots with human models.

However, the technology also poses an existential threat to the modeling industry due to the lack of regulation governing the ownership and use of digital twins. Models stand to have their images replicated without compensation or replaced entirely by synthetic models. To gain insight into how AI is disrupting the economics of fashion modeling, Reuters interviewed 15 model-agency directors and analyzed over a dozen confidential photo-shoot contracts from brands like Diesel, Calvin Klein, and L'Oréal, which detailed proposed terms for AI-created alterations and the future use of the images.